And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal
by Possum132
Summary: AU. A very brief follow up to “Never underestimate the power of obsessive love”. The Dark Lord chooses Neville Longbottom as his victim, Severus Snape marries Lily Evans and adopts Harry Potter, but one way or another the prophecy will be fulfilled.
1. Lily Evans

**And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal**

_This is not a full length story – it's a mere snippet exploring how, one way or another, the prophecy will be not be denied. And it is absolutely my last fanfiction. This time I mean it._

**Chapter 1: Lily Evans**

She'd watched as Harry's name was called, _Harry Snape, Slytherin_, watched as he walked up to the High Table, dressed in his finest dress robes - green, to match his eyes - to receive his NEWTs in Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology and Dark Arts from the Headmaster, Igor Karkarov; Harry's marks are excellent, they're not quite as good as Draco's - Draco is Head Boy but Harry is the more athletic of the two of them, he's the captain of the Quidditch team, Harry plays Chaser and Draco plays Seeker – and Harry and Draco have been friends and rivals since they were toddlers. And she'd hadn't really been surprised when the owl arrived from Hogwarts to tell them that Harry had been Sorted into Slytherin, because who would choose to be Sorted into Gryffindor? The Hat gives choices – she'd been offered Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, and she'd chosen Gryffindor because it was Albus Dumbledore's own House, and she'd been so impressed by his defeat of Grindelwald - if Grindelwald hadn't been defeated the Muggles would have kept on fighting each other, it would have been another hot war, not a cold war, and another tide of blood sweeping over Europe – that she'd chosen Gryffindor. But Gryffindor is the lowliest of all the Houses now, so many blood-traitors were Gryffindors, and the Dark Lord had revenged himself on Gryffindor in the cruellest and most effective way - he'd appointed Peter Pettigrew to teach Transfiguration and made him Head of House.

And Harry has a desperate need to prove himself - as would any boy who's burdened by a mother who isn't pure-blood and a father who was a blood-traitor. She'd had to tell Harry about James, because Harry looks nothing like his step-father, apart from the black hair – Harry looks nothing like her, or his half-sister Eileen, either, apart from the green eyes that they all share - so she'd had to tell him, before he found out from someone else, "Severus isn't your father, your father was killed in the war and when I married Severus he adopted you." But she hadn't told Harry everything, because it's better that he doesn't know who killed his father, it's better that he doesn't know that it was Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy. And please Merlin he never will find out, so many people were killed in the war and the raid on Godric's Hollow was just a little skirmish - it hadn't found its way into the popular history books like _Modern Magical History_, _The Rise and Rise of the Dark Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_.

No, she hadn't told Harry everything, when he'd asked how she'd met Severus she'd told Harry that she'd known Severus since they were both at Hogwarts – and then she'd hunted through the family photograph album, hunted through the pages of wedding photos and baby photos until she'd found the photograph taken at their graduation, the photograph in which she's standing between Horace Slughorn and Severus, smiling and holding the Potions Award, _awarded jointly to Severus Snape and Lily Evans_.

But when she remembers the day that photograph was taken, it twists her heart, because Harry looks so much like James - he's got the same untidy black hair, his nose is slightly shorter than James, but they've got the same face, the same mouth, the same eyebrows – he's the living image of James at the same age, except for the green eyes; James' eyes were hazel. And, glancing sideways at Severus, she thinks, it twists Severus' heart, too, he's disappointed that I didn't give him a son of his own. Because there have been no other children, she couldn't prevent Eileen's conception, but she'd made sure that there were no more children – no more sons to raise as faithful Death Eaters, and no more daughters, to be the mothers of future Death Eaters – and while Severus would have known if she was taking a Contraceptive Potion, he'd never suspected that she was using the Muggle pill.

But, to be fair to him, Severus has never reproached her for her failure to give him a son, in more than sixteen years of marriage he's never raised voice, hand or wand against her - and for her sake he's treated Harry as his own. And now Harry is standing by her side, waiting for everything to be made ready for the branding ceremony - because the branding with the Mark is always done after the NEWTs have been awarded, it's always done in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, directly after graduation. The Dark Lord brands the sons of his faithful Death Eaters as soon as they finish their magical education, and the Dark Mark is no mere tattoo, it binds a Death Eater to his master more powerfully than a house-elf is bound to his family - no one who bears the Mark can raise hand or wand directly against the Dark Lord. And the order of precedence depends on the standing of the boys' fathers in the Dark Order, it depends on how high their fathers stand in the Dark Lord's favour, so Draco and Harry will be first.

She can hear Bellatrix Lestrange, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, who'd greeted her with the bare minimum of politeness, loudly congratulating her sister on having a son to give to the service of the Dark Lord, then Draco is walking up to face the Dark Lord with his proud parents at his side, and she can't help thinking that Draco is as strongly stamped with his paternity as Harry – both Draco and his younger sister have the same pointed face, grey eyes and silver blond hair as Lucius - but Draco isn't made of the same stuff as his father, even though he wants to join the Auror Corps and work for his Aunt Bella.

Draco's eyes flicker to them as he walks past – more precisely, they flicker to Eileen, her red-haired sixteen year old daughter, who is growing up so fast – and she thinks, Draco is determined not to cry or scream, he's determined to be brave. And then she thinks, Narcissa must know that this is going to hurt her boy, she must know how much the Dark Mark hurts, Lucius must have told her that some initiates actually lose consciousness, but does Narcissa know that this is _nothing_, the real test is tonight, because the Dark Lord has no use for a servant who hasn't the nerve or the ability for the Unforgiveable Curses – and killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe.

Now Draco and his parents are kneeling before the Dark Lord - this is the first time that Draco has been allowed the honour of kissing the Dark Lord's robes – the Dark Lord is placing the tip of his wand against Draco's left forearm, but when the Dark Mark blooms like a black bruise on his arm Draco can't help himself from crying out and reeling back.

Narcissa is helping Draco to his feet, Lucius' face is impassive, but Draco's face is white, he looks like he's fighting down the urge to shout, or to vomit - and she has a sudden and almost uncontrollable urge to take Harry by the arm and flee before it's too late, but you can't Apparate or Disapparate inside the grounds of Hogwarts, everyone knows that, it's mentioned half a dozen times in _Hogwarts: A Revised and Expanded History_. And where would they flee? To Petunia, who thinks her sister died more than sixteen years ago in a car accident, together with her husband and son?

Now it's Harry's turn, it's their turn to approach the Dark Lord's throne, on bended knee - it's time for the Dark Lord to mark her son as a servant, it's time for the Dark Lord to brand Harry with the Mark that means a lifetime of service or death. But when she looks up into those waxy, distorted features there's something snake-like about the Dark Lord's face - he doesn't look like this in the official photographs that hang, by law, on the walls of every wizarding home - she remembers the rumours, _He drinks unicorn blood_, and she thinks, _No!_

She's reaching out her hand, she's pushing the Dark Lord's wand away from Harry's arm ... and the entire Great Hall is silent, they all know what happens to those who anger the Dark Lord – _crucio_, Azkaban, fed to the Dementors or the werewolves, or simply hurled through the Veil.

The Dark Lord looks surprised - but only for a moment - then he raises his wand, and it feels as if every nerve of her body is on fire, the Cruciatus Curse hurts so much, the pain is so intense, so all-consuming, that she no longer knows where she is, she opens her mouth to scream ... and then the pain stops, she's lying on the floor shaking uncontrollably, and all she can think is, please god, let this be enough, please don't let him hurt Harry or Severus ...

The Dark Lord is leaning forward, his reddened, blood-shot eyes fixed on her, and he asks, softly, "You don't want me to do that again, do you?"

She struggles to speak, to give him the answer he wants - but the words won't come and the Dark Lord is speaking again, "I asked you whether you want me to do that again? Answer me!"

Severus is kneeling beside her, she's never seen such fear and fury in those black eyes but he says nothing and he keeps his head bowed - Severus knows better than to challenge his master - but Harry is on his feet and his wand is in his hand, the foolish impetuous boy, doesn't he understand what he's doing, the Dark Lord will never overlook this offence ... and it's all her fault, if only she can make the Dark Lord understand, it's all her fault ... but the Dark Lord will not be placated, the Dark Lord is raising his wand again, pointing it at Harry, straight between the eyes, and she knows what this means, the _Avada Kedavra_, and somehow she scrambles up, flings herself forward, she might still be able to save Harry if she begs for his life, if she begs for mercy, "Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead ..."

The Dark Lord is telling her to stand aside, but she won't, even if it buys Harry only a few more seconds of life ... and then the whole world turns green.


	2. Severus Snape

**Chapter 2: Severus Snape**

He'd watched as Draco's name was called, _Draco Malfoy, Slytherin_, watched as Draco walked up to the High Table, dressed in his finest dress robes, to receive his NEWTs in Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Arithmancy and Dark Arts from Karkarov – all the subjects you need to become an Auror – and he'd thought, it's not as glamorous a job as it sounds, it's mostly policing the blood purity laws, and eliminating the Mudblood brats as soon as the Office for the Improper Use of Magic detects their accidental, uncontrolled magic.

Then he'd watched as Theodore Nott and the rest were called up in alphabetical order, until it was Harry's turn - and while Draco's marks are a little better than Harry's and Draco is Head Boy, Harry is captain of the Quidditch team and he's been offered a place with Puddlemere United, hell, there's a chance he might even play for the British team in next year's World Cup. Well, Harry and Draco have been friends and rivals since they were toddlers, and he hadn't really been surprised when the owl arrived from Hogwarts to tell them that Harry had been Sorted into Slytherin, because he'd always thought that if Lily wasn't Muggle-born, she would have been Sorted into Slytherin – Slughorn thought so, too, he was always teasing her about it. And the Hat gives choices, he'd been offered a choice between Gryffindor and Slytherin himself, and thank Merlin he'd chosen Slytherin, because he'd met Lucius on the train and he'd wanted to be with Lucius. And who would _want_ to be Sorted into Gryffindor, anyway, now that miserable little creep Pettigrew is Head of House? He'd suggested the appointment to the Dark Lord himself, after all, Wormtail was an Animagus, he was qualified to teach Transfiguration.

Finally the graduation ceremony had been over, the last name had been called, _Blaise Zabini, Slytherin_, and they could get on with the real business of the day, the branding with the Dark Mark. And here the order of precedence depends on the standing of the boys' fathers in the Dark Order, it depends on how high their fathers stand in the Dark Lord's favour, so Draco and Harry will be first.

He'd heard Bellatrix Lestrange - the bitch had greeted Lily with the bare minimum of civility, and if she wasn't the Dark Lord's right-hand woman, if she hadn't been entrusted with the Dark Lord's most precious secrets, he would have had it out with her at wand-point long ago - loudly congratulating her sister on having a son to give to the service of the Dark Lord, and now Draco is walking up to face the Dark Lord with Narcissa and Lucius at his side, and he can't help thinking that Harry is as strongly stamped with his paternity as Draco. And why does Harry have to be the living image of his father at the same age, why does the boy have to have James Potter's face and Lily Evan's eyes? But he doesn't really let it bother him because he won that battle years ago - and he thinks, I killed James Potter over sixteen years ago, Lily is mine, and Harry is mine, too.

But they'd had to tell Harry the truth about his father, before someone else did, and of course Harry had wanted to know everything, so he'd explained, "Your father was killed during the rise of the Dark Order, and when I married your mother, I adopted you." And at the end, James Potter had shown courage enough - so he'd told Harry, "Your father died bravely, and the Dark Lord always values bravery." And please god Harry will never find out the full story, there were so many raids in those days, the raid on Godric's Hollow was a mere skirmish and only brief details had been reported in the _Daily Prophet_.

Draco is kneeling before the Dark Lord, the Dark Lord places the tip of his wand against Draco's left forearm, and now Draco is reeling back and crying out, but that's nothing to be ashamed of, the Dark Mark hurts like hell; he remembers Lucius telling him, before he was branded with the Dark Mark himself, that it would sting a bit - and that was the understatement of the century.

Lily's hand on his arm tightens, of course she's anxious for Harry, and he feels a surge of tenderness for her - and Lily is still beautiful, she's still desirable, she's still got the power to stir his blood after more than sixteen years of marriage, and even if she hasn't been able to give him a son, she's given him a daughter. And Eileen is beautiful, too – thank Merlin she hasn't inherited his hair or his nose although there's too much of him in her face for her to be merely pretty - but she's a striking looking girl, and she's going to be gorgeous in a year or so, no wonder Draco can't keep his eyes off her.

It's Harry's turn now, his turn to be honoured with the Dark Mark, and Harry won't flinch at the pain - the boy has plenty of guts - but as they approach the Dark Lord's throne he can't suppress a twinge of apprehension, because Harry has been fed a lot of crap about the honour and glory of serving the Dark Lord, and tonight he's going to find out what being a Death Eater is really like. The kids have been taught the theory, they've practiced the Unforgiveables in class, on spiders and the like, but tonight they're going to use them on a human being for the first time; OK, they've been brought up to think of a Muggle as a kind of talking animal, but a Muggle still screams and bleeds, just like a wizard – and the first kill is always the hardest. Then he thinks, I was only eighteen myself when I took the Dark Mark - and now he's angry with himself, is he going soft?

They kneel before the Dark Lord, Harry kisses the Dark Lord's robes, and now the Dark Lord is placing the tip of his wand against Harry's left forearm – but Lily is reaching out her hand and pushing the Dark Lord's wand away ...

He's astonished, and he's terrified – doesn't Lily know what happens to those who anger the Dark Lord? This is open defiance, the Dark Lord has killed wizards for less than this ... but it's only _crucio_, it's only pain, it could have been worse, the Dark Lord could have used his own curse, _Sectumsempra, for enemies_, and scarred Lily for life - and the Dark Lord is lifting the spell now, he's leaning forward, his eyes fixed on Lily, and he asks, softly, "You don't want me to do that again, do you?"

Lily is struggling to speak, but the Dark Lord is impatient for an answer, he's speaking again, "I asked you whether you want me to do that again? Answer me!"

He's kneeling beside Lily but he daren't say anything, he dare not even let the Dark Lord see the fury in his eyes, so he keeps his head bowed while the Dark Lord raises his wand again, and all he can think is that while he's been able to protect Lily from Bella and Barty and Lucius and all the other pure-blood fanatics for more than sixteen years, he can't protect her from the Dark Lord himself.

And now everything is getting a lot worse, it's getting completely out of control, because Harry is on his feet and his wand is in his hand, and the Dark Lord won't overlook this – this means death, because it's death for a servant to raise his wand in the presence of the Dark Lord without orders. And Lily knows that it means death, too, she's trying to get between Harry and the Dark Lord, she's begging the Dark Lord for mercy, begging the Dark Lord to take her instead of Harry, but she's wasting her time, the Dark Lord is never merciful ... the Dark Lord will kill Harry and he might kill Lily, too ... time has slowed down, as it always does in a firefight, he's got plenty of time to plunge his hand into his robes and grasp the handle of his wand - and plenty of time to realise that there's nothing he can do to save Harry now, because the Dark Mark is no mere tattoo, it's the Dark Lord's choke chain and no one who bears the Mark can raise hand or wand directly against the Dark Lord.

The Dark Lord is telling Lily to stand aside but she won't move, there's a flash of green light and Lily crumples to the floor, he knows that she's dead - and it's all his own fault, because if a wizard can't guard what's his, he doesn't deserve to keep it. The Dark Lord's wand is pointed at Harry, straight between the eyes, there's another flash of green light - and now the Dark Mark is burning black on his arm, it's never hurt as much as it's hurting now but it's a familiar pain, he's used to pushing it away, and something momentous has happened, the Dark Lord's throne is _empty_, there's nothing there but a pile of empty robes ... and Harry is still alive, it's unbelievable, because there's no counter-curse against _Avada Kedavra_, there's no blocking the Killing Curse.

He's still on his knees, he looks up at Harry, Harry is OK, he looks fine - bewildered, but fine - and there's something different about him, there's a lightning-shaped hex mark in the middle of Harry's forehead, and that's jogging an old memory, but that's not important right now - not when Bellatrix Lestrange is screeching something about treachery. The crowd is hanging back in slack-jawed wonder, but not Bella - and if Harry is going to stay alive, he's going to have to take control of the situation right now - so his wand is in his hand and he's on his feet in an instant, and it's just like the old times because you're never so alive as when you're just about to die. There's a flash of green light, but this time it's from his wand; Bellatrix is down, and he's ready to take on anyone else who shows fight - but Lucius is stepping forward, raising his hand and calling for calm, there's a shrewd, calculating look on Lucius' face - and now that old memory comes back, the memory of what he'd overheard, crouching at the keyhole so many years ago, Sybill Trelawney's harsh, hoarse tones, _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ..._


	3. Lord Voldemort

**Chapter 3: Lord Voldemort**

It's always a pleasure to return to Hogwarts, it's always a pleasure to walk into the Headmaster's office – the portraits stop their chattering and gossiping when _he_ walks through the door, and no portrait of Dumbledore hangs in that office. Yes, it's always a pleasure to walk into the room where he was twice refused the position that he wanted, and where Dumbledore had taunted him, boasted of the number of times he'd been offered the post of Minister, _three times at the last count, actually_, and to remember that it's Lord Voldemort who has won, because the Heir of Slytherin has returned in triumph to the school that Salazar Slytherin was driven out of, and it's Dumbledore who has vanished into the darkness, into the abyss, into the nothingness of death. And then he'd thought, generously, I owe Dumbledore something, because the Muggle-loving old fool was the one who taught me that real power comes out of the tip of a wand.

He'd been frightened when the tall man with the auburn beard had made his wardrobe burst into flames, but his fear had been nothing compared with his determination to possess such power for himself, and the school the man had mentioned, Hogwarts, that was the way to get such power. And that was the way to keep power, too, to make sure that the young wizards and witches are brought up believing what he wants them to believe, that a Muggle is nothing more than a talking animal. 

Not that holding on to power is ever easy, the position of Minister for Magic for Greater Britain isn't an easy job, and currently the Quidditch World Cup is taking up a lot of his time - it will be the first time that Britain has hosted the World Cup in over thirty years, and Lucius is still working on some of the more recalcitrant foreign Ministries, the ones who think that the Dark Order takes too harsh a line towards Muggles and Mudbloods, or don't like the way he treats the handful of rebels in Ireland who resist his rule – and there's never enough money, although Severus wrings every Galleon out of the goblins that he can. But at least the Muggles won't be a problem, he'd told the Muggle Prime Minister to clear the site where the Cup will be held, because he couldn't guarantee the safety of any Muggle who blundered into the area, any more than he could guarantee the safety of a Muggle who wandered into the dragon reservations, or the giants' territory.

No, the Muggles won't be a problem, but there's still the problem of his final Horcrux - he's got the diary, the ring with the Peverell coat of arms engraved on the stone, Slytherin's locket, Hufflepuff's cup, and Gryffindor's sword, but he's never been able to find a relic of the fourth Founder. There is, however, an object at Hogwarts that may be worthy of housing a precious fragment of his soul - the Mirror of Erised, it's a powerful magical artefact, and when he looks into the Mirror, he sees ... himself. So, yes, when the opportunity arises, when there's a significant death – perhaps the execution of the leader of the Irish rebels – he'll take the final step to guard himself from mortal death. That still leaves the other question, the question of immortal life, because Flamel destroyed the Philosopher's Stone when Dumbledore died – and all his papers, too – and after more than sixteen years of research that fool Rookwood still hasn't been able to make him another ... but he'd pushed the thought away for the moment, because Karkarov is bowing and scraping, Karkarov has come to tell him that all is ready for the branding with the Mark. And he brands the sons of his Death Eaters as soon as they finish their magical education, because the Dark Mark is no mere tattoo – it's a magically active brand, his choke chain, and no one who bears his Mark can raise hand or wand directly against him.

So now he's seated on his throne in the Great Hall, watching the assembled initiates - if it went by alphabetical order, young Crabbe and young Goyle would be first, because sometimes he needs things done the Muggle way. Crabbe and Goyle are half-wits, but useful; it's a strange thing, but a wizard who can resist _crucio_ will so often crack when Crabbe and Goyle have broken his nose and his jaw and his ribs with their boots and their fists ...

But the order of precedence depends on the standing of the boys' fathers in the Dark Order, it depends on how high their fathers stand in his favour, so Draco Malfoy and Harry Snape will be first. 

He looks into Draco Malfoy's eyes, and he thinks, the boy is keen to earn honour and glory in my service but he's not made of the same stuff as his father, we'll see tonight if he has the nerve and the ability to cast the Unforgiveables – and a servant who can't kill my enemies is of no use to me.

And now it's young Harry's turn, a delicious joke, really – he'd indulged Severus in his obsession with the Mudblood mother, she'd been his reward for bringing the news of the prophecy – and Severus has raised the half-blood son of one of Dumbledore's wizards to be a faithful Death Eater. The boy and his parents are kneeling before him - it's the first time that the boy has been allowed the honour of kissing his lord's robes – he stretches out his wand, and then to his astonishment the red-haired witch reaches out her hand and pushes his wand away from her son's arm.

He's furious, this is open defiance – and doesn't she know what happens to those who anger him? And he's furious with Severus, too, can't he keep his wife under control? Severus will get a beating for this, too, to remind him that not even Lord Voldemort's favourites are above punishment, but it won't be the pain, it will be the humiliation of a public thrashing that will really hurt that proud creature.

He raises his wand and watches the woman writhing on the floor, but he doesn't want to permanently damage his gift to Severus and thirty seconds of _crucio_ will be enough to teach her never to defy her husband's master. He lifts the spell, leans forward, his eyes fixed on her, and he asks, softly, "You don't want me to do that again, do you?"

But the stubborn witch isn't giving him the answer he wants, he asks again, "I asked you whether you want me to do that again? Answer me!"

He raises his wand to give her another little dose of pain, Severus is kneeling beside his wife but he says nothing and he keeps his head bowed - he thinks, Severus is furious, but he knows better than to challenge his master - but now the boy is on his feet and his wand is in his hand, and he can't overlook this. He's not afraid - he can't die - but he can't allow a servant to draw his wand in the presence of Lord Voldemort without orders, and for this offence the punishment is death. But the damned woman is throwing herself in the way, he should have put her under a Body-Bind, she's begging and babbling, "Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead ..."

He tells her to stand aside but she doesn't move, he's given her a chance - let her make her foolish sacrifice if she must; he casts the _Avada Kedavra_, there's a flash of green light and the woman falls to the floor - and now his wand is pointed at the boy, straight between the eyes, he's got a clear shot now, there's another flash of green light ... but something goes terribly wrong, the curse rebounds on him, the force of his own spell rips him from his body - and the pain is agonising, pain beyond pain, as he becomes less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost ...

_Note: I don't know whether Harry will be evil or good in this AU, although I like to think that if Harry can survive ten years of neglect and hostility in the Dursley house, he can survive sixteen years of anti-Muggle propaganda. But I do know that even in this reality, Voldemort is toast._


End file.
